The USMNT has spent the last 18 months under Mauricio Pochettino experiencing something of a rollercoaster of emotions. There was a lot of hype and high expectations when Poch was announced. It was a rough start him as disappointing results made it seem like he wasn’t the same manager who got players to overperform and be a contender to win the Premier League and Champions League with Tottenham. That started turning around at the end of last year and the Stars and Stripes seem poised to play to their
potential going into the World Cup.
Poch has called in a strong roster that is somewhat limited by injuries but it’s becoming more clear who will be representing the USA this summer.
Starting at goalkeeper it seems like Matt Freese has claimed the no. 1 shirt carrying over from the end of 2025. Matt Turner’s move back to MLS has paid off for the former no. 1 as he’s back in the picture. There are four keepers on the roster though with Chris Brady and Roman Celentano also making the cut, presumably competing for the final spot in that position.
In defense Poch called in five natural center backs which seem to be his chosen central defenders as injuries aren’t an issue for the position this window. Noahkai Banks declined a call up and has not made a decision about representing the USA or Germany. His timing may make it difficult for Poch to justify calling him into the World Cup squad, but it seems like he would be among the five center backs called in if Banks had accepted the call up this window. The injury to Sergino Dest will give Alex Freeman a chance to be the first choice right back while Joe Scally has a shot at continuing to show his manager he belongs on the national team. At left back, Max Arfsten might have the most important role on the defense – backing up Antonee Robinson.
The midfield is taking shape but with Tyler Adams out injured, there is a question of who will not make the cut when he’s back. This window is huge for Johnny Cardoso who has been great for Atletico Madrid but needs to step up for the USMNT if he’s going to the World Cup. Elsewhere, Poch will need to evaluate how he wants to balance midfield depth with Sebastian Berhalter, Aiden Morris, and Gio Reyna potentially sitting on the bubble. It does seem clear that Berhalter has pulled ahead of Diego Luna in the depth chart at least for this window. When the World Cup rolls around it will be interesting to see if Poch brings Adams, Cardoso, and Morris or goes with another attacking option like Berhalter or Reyna for the latter.
The attacker pool seems pretty well set with Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, and Folarin Balogun all likely to be on the final World Cup roster. Things get interesting with the choice of second and third striker. Ricardo Pepi is back while Patrick Agyemang never really left, but Haji Wright being left out is somewhat surprising. The question is if one of them was included because of Haji Wright being held back after being substituted early for Coventry over the weekend.
The World Cup is rapidly approaching and this will be a key window for Poch while he makes final decisions ahead of calling in who will represent the USA in the tournament.
